Isela Vega Movies

Javier Fox's drama Fuera del cielo (AKA Beyond Heaven, 2006) spans a 24-hour period. It begins at 6am with young Cucú, who is greeted by the return of his brother Malboro after a five-year separation. The brothers unite and embark on a long journey to the locales inhabited by their relatives, and wrap at 6am the following morning. The theme of Fox's film is "orphanhood," not in the literal sense (where children lose their parents to death) but in the abstract sense - the sense in which individuals can easily fall out of touch with their family ties. That estrangement brings to Cucú and Malboro a sense of social disconnectedness that causes a great deal of inner pain, pain they must strive to overcome. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Luis Estrada directs this groundbreaking and extremely controversial satire about Mexico's long-ruling political party, the PRI. Set in the late 1940s in the remote, thoroughly backwards village of San Pedro de los Saguaros, the film focuses on Vargas (Damian Alcazar), a petty politician who had the dubious honor of being appointed town mayor after his predecessor was decapitated for corruption by an angry mob. At first, he tries to balance the books and to bring the 20th century to the backwaters. When he is visited by slick PRI politico Lopez (Pedro Armendariz), however, he learns the officially sanctioned way of running the town: at gunpoint while pilfering the bank vaults. Soon Vargas becomes a power-mad despot, more than willing to steal or kill to further his goals. Though his PRI bosses try to reign him in, the lynch mob soon appears to be the inevitable end of Vargas' political career. The first film to criticize the PRI by name, Estrada's bitter farce savages the ruling party, the church and U.S. intervention. Cult director Alex Cox plays a small role as a seedy gringo. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Men keep disappearing through the door of the house of the seven nymphs. ~ All Movie Guide

Cultural differences serve as a point of humor in this comedy about an American (Sam Bottoms) who is called down to Mexico for an inexplicable reason -- he is invited to attend the funeral of his father who actually died some 30 years earlier. He takes off from his home in California and after crossing the border he goes through one difficulty after another, all of which get him sent back home. Unwilling to give up easily, he heads back for a final sojourn because life just isn't as interesting stateside. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Monica (Isela Vega) is a showgirl who is kidnapped by her uncle who heads the Texas mob in this routine comedy. A trio of drunks from Mexico City sneak across the border to rescue Monica, who is being held because she know too much about her uncle's activities. Rafael Inclan, Roberto (Flaco) Guzman, and Polo Ortin play the comic trio who fool the mob and inept immigration officials. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Actor turned director Rodolfo De Anda's farcical sci-fi-comedy was based on Mauricio Iglesias' novel, El Amor Es una Farsa, although the laughs aren't as pointed or frequent. Andres Garcia toplines as a man with surgically enhanced super-strength (the title clearly an effort to capitalize on the international success of The Six Million Dollar Man). Despite his gifts, poor Garcia is still a flop with the opposite sex and he goes to ridiculous lengths -- including posing as Count Dracula -- to reverse his romantic fortunes. Familiar genre faces along for this very silly ride include Isela Vega, Roberto Guzman, and Rafael Inclan. De Anda went on to direct the overwrought La Carcel de Laredo before deciding to keep concentrating on his acting career. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

A houseful of prostitutes and a few cowboys have some fun in this made-for-TV spoof on westerns. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

One of four miniseries comprising NBC's Best Sellers anthology, The Rhinemann Exchange was adapted from the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. Stephen Collins stars as American intelligence officer David Spaulding, who under cover of his musician father's concert tours embarks upon a number of fact-finding missions in Europe just before WW2. Once hostilities break out, Spaulding relocates to Aergentina, there to exchange industrial diamonds for a secret gyroscope needed for the American war effort. Naturally, the Nazis are equally interested in those diamonds, putting Spaulding in any number of perilous predicaments. Lauren Hutton costars as Leslie Hawkewood, one of those ravishing "mystery women" so common to espionage fiction. Originally running 5 hours and telecast in three segments on March 10, 17, and 24, 1977, The Rhinemann Exchange was later rebroadcast as a four-hour, two-part "TV movie." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide